Many sports and exercise activities place considerable stress on the wrists. For example, certain gymnastic exercises require that the wrists and arms support the weight of the body and absorb the acceleration and deceleration forces of the body in a multitude of positions. Certain exercises or routines in weight-lifting also subject the wrists and arms to extreme stress or strain, particularly in a direction tending to bend the hands backwards about the wrists. In these and other activities, the wrists are vulnerable to tendon, ligament and soft tissue injuries which may result from excessive bending or turning of the hands, wrists and arms in directions beyond their physiological limits.
In the past, attempts have been made to protect the wrists from undue stress in various athletic endeavors. With varying degrees of success, wrist movement has been restricted by the use of tape or by rigid splints or pads immovably secured or placed around the area to be protected. These approaches, while marginally effective, tend to be cumbersome, bulky and flimsy, and therefore unsuitable for the user who requires considerable freedom of movement of the wrists but at the same time supporting the wrists against undesirable forces or strain. When the wrists are taped, the tension applied is limited since it tends to cut off blood circulation. In addition, other devices presently in use do not afford sufficient support for that area of the wrists ahead of the carpal bone structure and along the back of the hand while affording the maximum degree of comfort and flexibility or freedom of movement to the user.